Turkish-American ties improve day by day, Erdoğan says

NEW YORK

The ties between Türkiye and the United States are improving day by day on the basis of mutual interest, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said, hailing his agreement with U.S. President Joe Biden that paved the way for the establishment of a strategic mechanism between the two states.

“We have agreed with Mr. Biden on strengthening our friendship and cooperation. The strategic mechanism that we have decided to create with Mr. Biden is contributing to the deepening of our dialogue,” Erdoğan said in his address to the Turkish-American National Steering Committee late on Sept. 17 in New York.

Erdoğan is in New York to attend the U.N. General Assembly. He is also meeting the representatives of the Turkish community living in the U.S. during his stay.

The bilateral trade volume has exceeded $32 billion and made a new record, Erdoğan said, vowing that the Turkish-American cooperation will further grow in the coming period on the basis of mutual interest.

“There can always be divergences between the states. It is normal. But we are aware that we have more convergences and more windows of opportunity in this respect. I believe we will happen to have more concrete outcomes if we continue to act in unity,” Erdoğan stressed.

Türkiye and the U.S. are allies in NATO but they have differences in the latter’s policies on northern Syria which brings about a partnership with the YPG, a terrorist organization in the eyes of Ankara. On the other hand, the U.S. has recently sanctioned five Turkish companies arguing that they helped Russia to evade sanctions to continue its war against Ukraine.

‘There are those who try to poison Turkish-American ties’

Erdoğan called on the Turkish communities in the U.S. to establish bridges between the two nations. “There are some interest groups who seek to poison the Turkish-American ties. We will eliminate these efforts by explaining the truth and representing Türkiye and the Turkish people in a very good way,” he said.

On growing concerns about Islamophobia in the world, Erdoğan called on the Turkish communities to stand together against these trends which are spreading across the world with through social media.

Racism is another dangerous wave and is affecting Muslims in the world, including the Turkish-American communities, Erdoğan suggested. “No state that respects human rights and liberties should ignore this trend,” he said.

“Impunity will further encourage the perpetrator of a crime. The perpetrators will become even tougher if no measures are taken to fight Islamophobia. As Türkiye, we are openly urging and showing our reactions to this growing danger,” Erdoğan stated.

Recalling that the Quran, Islam's holy book, was burned in multiple incidents in Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands as well as very recently in New York, he said: “We never accept efforts to legitimize these acts under the concept of freedom of expression. According to us, these incidents aim to provoke people against each other.”

“We will stay committed to ending these incidents,” he added.